The therapeutic potential of Persian medicine in treating diabetes

Researchers from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Sciences conducted a review of the different medicinal plants used in Persian medicine for the treatment of diabetes. This study, published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine, looked at the available literature to come up with the list of plants with scientifically proven antidiabetic activity.

Diabetes mellitus is a prevalent health problem caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices like poor diet and physical inactivity. People who suffer from this disease are at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Many people now prefer herbal medicines over conventional medications, which have been associated with adverse side effects. Because of this, it is important to determine the plants that would be beneficial for diabetes patients.

In this study, the researchers scoured traditional Persian textbooks for a list of medicinal plant used to treat diabetes. They then searched electronic databases like PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus for literature with in vitro, in vivo, or clinical evidence for its efficacy as a natural diabetes remedy.

The researchers used search terms including “diabetes mellitus,” “diabetes,” “hypoglycemia,” “hypoglycemic effect,” and the plant name.

Overall, the results of their review show that there are many plants used in Persian medicine that have been proven to have antidiabetic activities through in vitro, in vivo, and even clinical studies.